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Chihuahua is a breed of tiny dogs originally from Mexico that has pointed ears, bulging eyes, and a strangely large head. In fact, the Chihuahua represents the smallest breed of dog in the world. It was discovered in 1850, and got its name from a Mexico state formerly and presently called Chihuahua.

There are two types of Chihuahuas that are recognized by the AKC (American Kennel Club): the smooth-coat (shorthaired) and the long-coat. The term smooth-coat is quite misleading, because some shorthaired Chihuahuas have rough coats. Nonetheless, they are still considered smooth-coats. In essence, smooth-coat Chihuahuas can have soft velvet-like coats or rough hairy-like coats.

Strangely, longhaired Chihuahuas are actually smoother; their outer-coat, including their undercoat, is very soft, giving them a fluffy appearance. Considering other longhaired dog breeds, long-coat Chihuahuas require little attention, for they need no trimming but a simple grooming. Moreover, compared to their short-haired counterparts, they tend to shed less. Better yet, it takes two plus years before they develop a full and long coat.

When it comes to its standards, more significance is put on their overall proportions and weight, rather than its height. Nevertheless, the general height of the Chihuahua ranges between 6 and 10 inches at the highest part of the back. Some may reach the height of 12 to 15 inches. The typical weight of the Chihuahua is 6 to 6 1/2 pounds. Any dog that exceeds the typical weight is considered overweight. In fact, the American Kennel Center obligates that show dogs weigh 6 pounds. The Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) is slightly lenient, requiring their show dogs to be between 3.3 to 6.6 pounds.

However, Chihuahuas that are not show dogs, but rather pets/companions, can be 10 pounds or even more for two reasons: having large bone structures and being overweight. That does not exclude them from the purebred Chihuahuas like many may believe, because they are indeed purebred. They are just overweight.

Similar to other breeds of dogs, the Chihuahua breed varies in color. Regarding color, the AKC standard for show dogs is as follows: "Any color-Solid, marked or splashed." Basically, there is no set color because they come in many colors, spots, and patterns. Some colors are fawn, chocolate, red, cream, black, white, etc.

Moreover, some patterns of the Chihuahua are as follows: Irish spotting, piebald spotting, extreme white spotting, tan points, and many

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